A couple of Senufo sculptures

Some info about Senufo sculptures from the Boundiali region, Ivory Coast.

The Senufo people inhabit a broad area of West Africa, principally northern Ivory Coast, western Burkina Faso and southern Mali. Within Ivory Coast, they are subdivided into regional groups, one of which includes communities around the town of Boundiali. This region is occasionally referenced in provenance statements for sculptures as “Boundiali region”. Senufo art is deeply embedded in secret-society ritual life, notably the male Poro society, which governs initiation, age-grades and ritual processes in Senufo culture. Carved wooden figures, masks and staffs function primarily as ritual objects rather than decorative sculpture.

One principal type of sculpture found among the Senufo of the Boundiali region is the rhythm pounder, or déblé. These figures typically stand on heavy cylindrical or slightly conical bases, with lower legs shortened or omitted entirely so that the figure rises directly from the plinth. The torso tends to be elongated, and the arms are often free from the body and curved outwards to enable the figure to be held for pounding. Scarification marks, elaborate coiffures, high helmet-like crests, almond-shaped eyes, and dark patinas are characteristic. Female sculptures of this type sometimes display oblique scarification on the temples, round necklaces, and fine bracelets.

Functionally, the déblé figure is used by initiates to mark rhythm in funeral and initiation rites of the Poro society. The heavy base is struck on the ground while the figure is held by its upper arms, producing a rhythmic accompaniment for dancers and participants. Other terms for these figures in museum catalogues include “rhythm pounder” or “male and female figure”.

The Boundiali region displays certain stylistic traits that distinguish it from other Senufo areas. Sculptures from this area often retain a more archaic form: cylindrical bases, shortened or absent feet, dark patination, and less dramatic elongation of the body compared to central Korhogo or Sikasso variants. In some cases, the figures represent a primordial couple and encode themes of fertility, lineage, and regeneration. They also reflect the Senufo agricultural cosmology, linking earth, fertility, and ancestral continuity. Many older sculptures were kept in Poro sanctuaries or sacred groves, hidden from general view, and only entered the market in the mid-20th century.

For collectors and curators, provenance verification is particularly important when a sculpture is attributed to the Boundiali region. The functional context as a ritual object should inform cataloguing and exhibition texts, noting that the sculpture was used in Poro rites rather than as a purely aesthetic object. Surface patina and signs of use, such as wear on the arms or base, are important indicators of authenticity. Ethical considerations regarding the object’s sacred status should also be addressed. Boundiali Senufo works can be described as part of the western Senufo sculptural tradition, distinguished by the cylindrical base, shortened legs, dark patina, and more restrained elongation compared with other regions. Many examples entered circulation post-1940s as cult practices evolved and sculptural objects were decommissioned.

Senufo sculptures from the Boundiali region represent a convergence of artistic form, ritual function, and social symbolism. These works, particularly the déblé rhythm pounder figures, are instruments within initiation and funerary ceremonies of the Poro society. Their stylistic and functional attributes should be presented alongside the ritual context, secret-society framework, and agricultural cosmology of Senufo life.

• “A high aged Senufo couple, Ivory Coast, of the Boundiali region, village Tinguerela, standing on cylindrical, slightly conical bases, with shortened legs uprising directly – without feet – from the plinths, which is the more archaic Senufo style of these large and rare figures of man and woman; dark nearly anthracite‑coloured surface, signs of sacrifications in particular on head and shoulders. Origin: Heritage Mr. Kaba Cabinet, Bouaké.” Height: 146 cm / 138 cm. Galerie Wolfgang Jaenicke+1

• “A Senufo couple, Ivory Coast, the legs uprising from a cylindrical base, each figure is wearing a short skirt, the female sculpture has sagging breasts, both have pointed navels and rounded shoulders leading to slightly angled arms, the hands resting on the skirt, both wearing one armlet on each upper arm and one bracelet on each wrist, a cylindrical neck supporting an oval head with a forward‑projecting chin and a protruding mouth, an elongated nose with a broad tip, deep cut brows, the closed eyes are crescent‑shaped, the ears are worked as circles, sitting far back, the head surmounted with an Iroquois‑like hair cut; heavy dark brown wood, aged patina, several age cracks, a touch patina especially on the face, neck and upper arms.” Height: 87 cm / 90 cm. Galerie Wolfgang Jaenicke

• “A Senufo couple … seated on four‑legged stools, with wedge‑shaped feet, the female has a child on her lap, firm conical breasts, the male holds a sickle in his right hand, both sculptures have a slender torso, bent arms, bracelets around lower and upper arms, a facial plane with bulging heavy‑lidded coffee bean eyes, a slender nose and a slightly open mouth, whiskers‑like scarification marks and a lip plug; natural brownish patina, traces of age and ritual use, partly eroded, several cracks on each sculpture.” Height: 62 cm / 63 cm. Galerie Wolfgang Jaenicke

• A Senufo rhythm‑pounder, called Déblé, or a guardian sculpture: “Ivory Coast, Sikasso region, almost cubist‑looking, standing on a cylindrical base, short legs, elongated torso …” Height: 117 cm. Galerie Wolfgang Jaenicke

Height: 104 cm / 104,5 cm
Weight: 12,47 / 12,9 kg